


Taako from TV

by tooberjoober



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: A lot more characters are in this but I don't feel like tagging them all, AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 20:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11928483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooberjoober/pseuds/tooberjoober
Summary: Kravitz prefers not to call himself paparazzi. He's a reporter of all things pop culture. He's been assigned to report on the latest craze on TV called the Adventure Zone and its wild card of a star Taako Taaco.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm starting another chapter fic. Hooray! I will go back and update my other ones I swear I just had the idea for this and I love it. And hopefully you will too? If you do I'd love if you'd leave a comment or kudos. Thanks! Hope you enjoy!

Kravitz wouldn't call himself paparazzi. He was simply an interviewer and photographer. He never took unwanted photos or outright lie about the celebrity that he was currently writing about. People still weren't exactly fond of him.

Kravitz walked into the office building, a black bag slung over his shoulders and his hair pulled back into a ponytail. 

"Morning Kravitz." A tired sounding Avi greeted from the desk. "How're you?" 

"I'm fine, how're you?" Kravitz asked the secretary. 

"Exhausted, I stayed up all last night watching that new Adventure Zone show. It's hilarious dude, have you seen it?" Avi asked with a smile. 

"Haven't had the time, but I've heard good things." Kravitz shrugged, adjusting his hipster glasses. 

"Alright, I'll let you get to work." Avi said, holding his hand up for a fist bump. Kravitz awkwardly obliged before walking back to his desk, greeting the other writers that he passed by. He sat back in his chair, looking over at the latest article he wrote for the website he worked for, Astral Articles. He needed to edit the article before he received his next assignment. 

Not too long after he set to work, a woman walked into the opening of his cubicle. She was tall, made taller by the five inch heels she was never seen without. Her hair was jet black and cut very short. Her attire matched Kravitz' with the color scheme, meaning black, though where Kravitz was classy she was hardcore. This was the owner of the site, Raven. She leaned against the wall of the cubicle. "So have you heard of that new show Adventure Zone?" 

"I haven't gotten the chance to watch it yet, but yes I've heard of it." Kravitz nodded, turning his chair to face her. 

"Well, ya best get caught up, because that show and it's cast is your main assignment for as long as it's on air. Specifically…" She tossed down a tabloid cover with a man flipping off the camera. "Taako Taaco. Most of the other stars have been in smaller things before, but this is Taako's first project and he's not exactly open to discussing…anything." 

Kravitz groaned slightly. "Why is this my job?" Had he worked for anyone else he wouldn't have complained, but this was Raven, his friend since high school. 

"I know you're the most determined writer we've got." Raven smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Besides he said he'd only speak to the most attractive reporter we've got." She pushed his chair to spin to face the computer. 

"What?" Kravitz demanded, looking back at her. "Raven, you can't be serious." 

"One hundred percent." Raven said, looking at her nails uninterestedly. "I scored you an invite to a cast party, this Friday. By then I expect you to have an article written up about the show. During the party I want a couple of pictures, maybe some quotes? Whatever you can get from any of them." 

Kravitz sighed. "Alright, fine." Raven smiled and left Kravitz to get to work. Kravitz sighed, picking up the magazine cover and looking at the man. He was thin and tan with golden curls that stopped just above his shoulders. He was wearing a large pair of sunglasses and a huge hat. He was wearing a t-shirt that hung off his shoulder and leggings tucked into high heeled boots. He stuck his tongue out as he flipped off the camera. 

Kravitz could tell that this was going to be extremely difficult, but the man wasn't unattractive. And he certainly seemed…interesting. 

* * *

Taako strut into the studio, walking in like he owned the place. He whipped his sunglasses off, looking around the studio. He always showed up early and the only other actor was…oh god.

"Hello sir!" Angus greeted. Angus was the little prodigy, both inside and out of the show. "How are you today?" 

"It's Monday, so it's automatically less than ideal." Taako said, starting to walk to his dressing room. 

"I love Mondays!" Angus exclaimed, jogging to keep up with Taako. "I love coming here and filming with you and everybody else!" 

It was hard to fight back a smile around the kid. As annoyingly optimistic as he was, he was cute. Taako ruffled his hair. "Well you make it a bit more bearable. I've gotta go get ready, you wanna wear this?" He offered, taking his hat off and putting it on Angus' head. 

The hat immediately flopped over his eyes and Angus had to push up the brim to see. "Thank you sir! I'll watch over it super good while you go!" He grinned. 

"Just make sure you put it in my dressing room when you're done, Ango." Taako said with a nod. He headed to his dressing room, finding the costume that was set out for that day's filming. The show had a lot of fantasy elements so it took him a while to get everything on, but in the end all that mattered was that Taako looked damn good. And he wasn't even wearing makeup yet. 

Taako finished lacing up his boots and started the walk to hair and makeup. One of his coworker's was already in one of the chairs, nursing a cup of coffee. "Sup Magnus." Taako greeted, flopping into the chair next to him. "Morning Julia." He greeted Magnus' fiancée and the main makeup artist. 

"Hey Taako." Julia greeted happily. "I'll be with you in a sec." 

"Morning Taako." Magnus yawned. "How's this morning treating you?" 

"Not bad. Have you seen the kid? He's a trip." Taako chuckled, shaking his head. "Such a little fuckin' nerd, am I right?" 

Magnus laughed. "Yeah! He's so small. The other day I grabbed his phone and held it out of his reach for like ten minutes straight! It was hilarious." 

"Magnus, you guys are too mean to him." Julia scolded, working with her fiance's auburn hair. 

"It's all in good fun." Magnus rolled his eyes. "He knows we care about him." 

"Yeah, I let him wear one of my hats." Taako said. "Do you know how much that means from me?" Julia sighed, going back to her work. 

"Mornin' dumbasses." Their other costar greeted from the doorway. Merle was greeted with varying responses from the other three. "You guys seen this yet?" Merle asked, tossing Taako a magazine with his face and his middle finger plastered on the cover. 

"Damn, I look good." Taako nodded appreciatively. 

"Taako…" Magnus groaned. "Even if you look good physically this isn't good publicity." He stood from the chair, letting Merle sit to get his makeup done. 

"Okay but maybe…this is the public image I'm going for." Taako said with a shrug. "Like I'm fun and playful, but I can fuck you up if necessary." 

"Sirs…what does that mean? Fuck you up?" Angus said from the doorway, where he had apparently been standing for a bit. 

Magnus gasped and ran over to Angus protectively. "Don't say that word!" 

"But what does it mean?" 

"Fuck yeah, lil man, start cussing early, just like Taako." Taako nodded, appreciatively, making it difficult for Julia to do his eyeliner. 

"If it means that I'm like you sir, I will keep saying it!" Angus exclaimed. "Fuck yes!" 

Magnus gasped again, throwing Angus over his shoulder and running from the room. The giggles of the boy could be heard as the pair escaped off down the hall, presumably so Magnus could either give him a talk or a high five. 

"Seriously though Taako." Julia said, dabbing blush onto his cheeks. "Be careful about what you say and do to the press. If you get dragged down the show could get dragged with you." 

"Alright, alright, whatever." Taako huffed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is better than the last chapter tbh. The last one was like a prologue this had actual stuff happening. Anyways hope you like it! If you do then feel free to comment or kudos, I'd really appreciate it!

Kravitz couldn't complain about his job too much, especially not when a large part of it was watching tv and analyzing it. He practically did it out of habit now and it was something he enjoyed. Still it took him a few days to get through all of the episodes up to that point of Adventure Zone. It was charming, very funny and heartfelt. It had its flaws, like all things do, but he genuinely enjoyed it. Still it was work and he had to come up with some sort of article on the show. Writing came natural to Kravitz so he was able to finish that relatively quickly as well. 

But one thing that Kravitz wasn't too good at was parties. He wasn't particularly bad at socializing or conversation, they just weren't his strong suits. And everything about parties, from what to wear down to when to show up, it all just confounded Kravitz. And this time Kravitz showed up late. He didn't mean to, he just got caught up in reading emails and then suddenly the party was starting and he wasn't even dressed. He quickly pulled on a suit and hurried out the door. 

He wasn't the last to arrive by far, but the party was already in full swing when he got there. But really in a way, that sort of made his job easier. People were more likely to talk to him and take pictures after a couple of drinks. 

After grabbing a drink, Kravitz walked around, talking to a few different people who worked on set, getting ideas of what it was like to work on the show. And every time he would ask about his main target and the answers surprised him every time. Everyone genuinely seemed to like Taako. Normally these diva types, and that was what Taako seemed to be, were almost universally hated by the cast and crew, but even the most negative of the comments on him were simply "He keeps to himself," or "he's kinda rude sometimes." 

Kravitz grabbed another drink, accidentally bumping into a tall broad shouldered man with auburn hair who was talking to a woman that was slightly shorter, but just about as muscular. "I'm sorry." He apologized to the man. 

"Oh don't worry about it." The man shrugged it off. 

Kravitz smiled then realized. "You're Magnus Burnsides, right?" He asked. 

"In the flesh." The man grinned widely. "Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" 

"I'm Kravitz Reaper, I work for Astral Articles." He responded, shaking his hand. 

"Oh I've read some of their articles before!" The woman he had been talking to piped in. "I'm Julia, Magnus' fiancée and makeup artist for the show." She introduced herself, shaking Kravitz' hand as well. 

Kravitz smiled. "Could I get a picture of you two? You're absolutely adorable." 

"Uh yeah, sure." Magnus nodded, seeing how Julia got excited. 

Kravitz took a couple of pictures before he nodded, satisfied. "Do you two enjoy working on the show together?" 

"Well yeah, we're both sorta just livin' the dream." Magnus said with an awkward nod. 

"It's a great gig with amazing people and after all this time it feels more like family than coworkers." Julia smiled. 

Kravitz smiled as well, Julia had an infectious smile. "So what can you tell me about working with Taako?" 

Magnus smiled. "I love Taako! He's the best! Great actor, and although he'd hate if I said this…" Magnus looked around conspiratorially. "He's a really nice guy." 

Kravitz chuckled, taking some notes down in his phone. "My boss told me he's been quite difficult regarding press. Though from what I hear everybody loves him." 

"Well Taako likes his privacy." Julia shrugs. "Can't blame him for that." 

Kravitz nodded. "It's been lovely speaking to you two, but Taako is supposed to be my main subject." 

"Good luck." Magnus said. 

Julia tilted her head, looking Kravitz over. "I think you'll be fine. Taako's been drinking for a couple of hours and you seem like you'd be his type." 

Kravitz' face heated up slightly. He cleared his throat. "And that is why my boss sent me." He rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his drink before he headed back into the crowd. 

After several suggestions of where Taako would be, he finally turned his attention to the dance floor. Lo and behold there was the famous Taako, dancing as if no body was watching, but people were watching, one of those people was a mesmerized Kravitz. He wasn't the only one on the dance floor by far but he was certainly the most interesting. The way he managed to strut and get low while in high heels was astounding to say the least. And although he wasn't exactly graceful or elegant, the movement of his hips alone was hypnotic. What had previously been a job and minor curiosity about the man had now turned into a full blown fixation as Kravitz stared at the man. 

"You a groupie?" A man's deep voice asked from beside him. 

Kravitz looked down in surprise, face warm at being caught staring. "Ah erm…no. I'm a reporter. You're Merle Highchurch, right?" He asked the shorter man. 

"In the flesh, mostly." He chuckled to himself, knocking on his prosthetic arm before offering it to Kravitz to shake. Kravitz allowed himself to chuckle as well, shaking the man's hand. "So you're a reporter, huh?" 

"Yes sir." Kravitz nodded, glancing back to the dance floor. 

"Seem to be pretty taken with our Taako, huh?" 

"Well my boss wanted me to interview him since he's proven difficult with other reporters." Kravitz excused himself quickly. 

Merle nodded. "I'll tell him you've been staring. Nothing makes Taako happier than being in the presence of someone who appreciates his good looks." 

Kravitz chuckled. "Sounds kind of narcissistic." He commented. 

Merle shrugged. "He's a good guy once you get to know him. Not the greatest guy, but honestly, who is?" Taako started walking off of the dance floor, coming towards Merle and Kravitz. "Get your excuse ready, kid." Merle mumbled to Kravitz. "Hey Taako! This guy's been starin' at you." 

Taako looked from Merle, up to Kravitz, who still managed to be a bit taller than Taako despite the heels. Taako appraised Kravitz' appearance for a moment, before nodding. He patted Merle's head. "Thank you, Merle." He said dismissing the man with a nod. Merle waddled away grumbling about Taako under his breath. "What's your name, stud?" Taako asked, taking a step closer to Kravitz. 

Kravitz' mouth felt very dry as he responded. "Kravitz…Kravitz Reaper." He took a step backwards, offering his hand to Taako. 

Taako looked at the hand with a raised eyebrow, before shaking it. "I assume you know who I am." He said. "I'm Taako…from tv." He gestured grandly around him and Kravitz nodded quickly. "So…Merle said you were watching me. Did you like what you saw?" He asked, tilting his head and placing a hand on Kravitz' shoulder. 

Kravitz cleared his throat. "Um…Taako you're…you are very attractive, but at the moment I'm really only interested in my job." He said quickly. 

"Oh yeah?" Taako asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's your job?" 

"I'm actually a reporter. I was hoping to get an interview with you." Kravitz explained. 

Taako immediately retracted his hand with a frown. He seemed to be considering something. He finally nodded. "Gimme your phone." He requested. Kravitz immediately complied, seemingly under a spell. "I don't like reporters, but you might be handsome enough for me to reconsider." He put his phone number in as a contact and then took a selfie with his tongue sticking out for the contact photo. "Call me when I'm sober, kay?" He handed back the phone. 

Kravitz nodded, looking down at his phone. The name for the contact was "Hot piece of ass (Taako)." When Kravitz looked back up, Taako was gone. Kravitz took that as his cue to leave while he could. And as he started driving home his mind wandered and he started thinking more about this Taako. Just who was he?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Thanks for all the positive feedback, it really motivated me to keep going! Hope you like it and if you did, feel free to comment or leave a kudos. Thanks!

Kravitz briefed Raven on the events of the party, showing her the pictures and the article he had written so far. Although there was only really one part of the story that she was interested in. 

"I told you that he'd find you attractive!" She said smugly, leaning against his desk. 

"Was your goal to get an interview or to get me a date?" Kravitz asked unamused. 

"I want the interview." Raven shrugged. "If your lonely ass gets a date that's just a perk." She shrugged. 

Kravitz frowned. "Raven, that's unprofessional." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I told you when you first started working here, I am your friend first and your boss second." She said, lifting up a finger matter of factly. "Besides, you work too hard! You could use something to take a break and relieve some tension." She wiggles her eyebrows. 

"But really Raven, do you think that this-" He held up the selfie that Taako took on his phone. "Is my type?" 

"Hey I don't know what your type is!" She excused herself. "You've never been in a relationship that I know of and you've only ever admitted to having a crush on a guy in ninth grade." She accused. 

"Was it really that long ago?" Kravitz asked, looking thoughtful for a moment. He shook his head, getting back to the matter at hand. "Regardless, my type is someone that shares my values. Not some crazy party boy." 

"You don't know if he doesn't share your values. He's multidimensional! He's a fully characterized being." She pointed out. 

"Still-" Kravitz began to argue. 

"Just call him ya' big baby!" She huffed, rolling her eyes. 

Kravitz let out a huff. "I'll text him." He said, pulling up his messages and composing a text. 

"Hey, this is the reporter from the party last Friday. I was wondering if we could get together this week for a short interview? ~Kravitz" He wrote. 

The response came relatively quickly, but it was frankly a bit disappointing. "Hm…I think I remember a Kravitz, selfie?" He requested. 

"Oh my god, Raven this is ridiculous." Kravitz said, looking up at her. 

"Just do it, lets see where this goes." Raven said, invested in the text. 

"Fine." Kravitz sighed before responding with a selfie he had taken the other day. 

"Oh right, the one that was staring at me, how's it goin' hot stuff?" Taako texted back with a winking emoji. 

"You were staring?" Raven asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. 

"Only because I was trying to get his attention." Kravitz quickly excused himself, his face warming up. "Oh wait he's still texting." 

"Yeah, sure I'll meet with you. when and where?" Taako agreed. 

Kravitz let out a sigh of relief, sorting out the details with Taako. He looked at Raven. "That went better than expected." 

"Yeah." Raven nodded, pushing herself off of his desk. "Now all you gotta do is get all his deepest darkest secrets with that pretty face of yours." She said, starting to leave his cubicle. Kravitz was silent until she spoke again. "I was kidding, of course. We don't need deep and dark." 

"Right…" Kravitz nodded, looking down at his phone. 

* * *

"I'm Justin." Taako proclaimed, looking at another actor. "Ya know, the famous guy…what's my line?" He called looking at the camera. 

"Traveling entertainer!" The director, Lucretia called from behind the camera. "Taako really, you know the backstory." She rolled her eyes. 

"Sorry, just had a ya know," Taako made the gesture and noise of an explosion. "Brain fart." 

"That's not a fart noise." Magnus said, matter of factly. 

"Thank you, lumber jack-off." Taako said, rolling his eyes. 

"You're welcome uh…dick jerk." He retorted. 

"Really got him there, Magno." Merle said, patting Magnus' side sympathetically. 

"Do we have to send you all to some group bonding exercise?" Lucretia sighed. 

"No." They all answered. 

"Our jokes are all fondly meant." Taako said, patting Magnus' shoulder. 

"You know what?" Lucretia sighed, looking at her watch. "It's almost lunch anyways. Let's just end it here. We'll come back to this at two, alright?" She called to the crew around her.

"Hells yeah!" Taako exclaimed, throwing his wizard hat to one of the costumers. "Taako's got a hot date, see you losers later." He started walking to his dressing room. 

"Hot date?" Magnus asked curiously, following Taako. "Who with?" 

"Uh a reporter that was at the party." Taako responded, walking into his dressing room and starting to shed layers of his wizardly garb for more normal clothes. 

"Kravitz or something like that?" Merle asked, standing beside Magnus in the entryway to Taako's dressing room. 

"Yup." Taako nodded. "Now can you pervs turn around and not watch me dress?" He requested, shooing the boys. They turned around and covered their eyes, but remained where they were. 

"That guys was pretty handsome." Magnus nodded. "You sure you're gonna be back in time?" 

"He was wearing a suit and he didn't sleep with me then, he seems like a gentleman." Taako said, pulling on his clothes. "Besides, I can work fast." 

"Gross." Merle commented. 

"Bite me, shorty." Taako responded, pulling on his shoes and grabbing his hat and sunglasses. "See you chumps in an hour." He responded, pushing past his friends. He put on his sunglasses and his hat, starting the walk to a local cafe. He looked down at his feet, hoping to avoid being recognized until he arrived at the café at least. 

It was a small café, not too far from the studio, or Kravitz' office building, with a sign on the awning proclaiming it to be "Cherry Blossoms Café." It was sort of out of place, between two large apartment buildings on either side. It had a little iron wrought fence with baskets of flowers hanging from either side. There were several tables outside of the café with umbrellas shading the clients from the sun. 

Taako took a deep breath, taking a table inside the café and taking off his sunglasses and hat. Even if this wasn't a date it had been a while since he'd been in this sort of setting. He was a little nervous. He told himself that it was ridiculous. He was Taako goddammit. He was famous and people loved him. And even if they didn't really know him, he was pretty and people liked what they knew. Kravitz wouldn't be the exception.

Kravitz walked into the café, looking around uncertainly, until he saw him. In a way Taako looked more realistic than he had the previous night, no longer so mysterious and alluring. But in a different way he retained that unrealistic aura, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and looking down, he looked like the protagonist in some rom com movie. Kravitz cleared his throat, sliding into the seat across from Taako. 

Taako's expression quickly changed and he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Bout time. Listen buddy, I've only got an hour for lunch, so next time, don't be late." 

"Next time?" Kravitz responded, crossing one leg over the other. "That's awful presumptuous of you." 

"If this were explicitly stated to be a date, I'd agree with you, buddy." Taako leaned forward, lacing his fingers together resting his chin on them. "But, this is an interview, and I assume as the show continues you and your readers will want more of my charm, charisma, and wit." Taako winked. "Unless of course…this is a date?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and humming. 

Kravitz cleared his throat, looking away. "Let's just get to the matter at hand." He said quickly, willing the heat in his cheeks to disappear. 

"Not so fast, hot stuff, we need to order first. Garçon!" Taako called dramatically, making Kravitz want to hide his face in embarrassment. 

"What do you want, Taako?" A tall, slender woman with long dark hair asked sighing. 

"I'm kind of a regular here." Taako explained to Kravitz before turning back to Sloane. "Right, Sloane would you be a dear and have Hurley cook up some of her famous BLTs for me and my friend here? You're alright with meat, right darling?" Taako asked, looking over at a dumbstruck Kravitz. He nodded slowly. "Perfect. And then we're gonna need at least twenty of your macaroons, ten for us, ten for me to take back to the kid. Thank you." He smiled widely as she walked away, rolling her eyes. 

"The kid?" Kravitz asked curiously. 

"Oh no, not mine. I mean Angus. The little dork on the show." Taako explained. 

"Ah." Kravitz nodded. 

"Okay," Taako began. "How about we two play a game? You ask me a question for your interview, and then I ask you a question for my own curiosity. Anything I say outside of answering your question is not allowed to be taken and put in the interview." 

Kravitz nodded hesitantly. "Alright."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Got a chapter finished! Hope you guys like it, if you did feel free to leave a comment or kudos. If you didn't think it was that great, maybe send some constructive criticism? I'm honestly kinda dying for feedback

"So…" Kravitz said, taking a sip of his water. "Where are you from?" 

"That's your first question?" Taako asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"It's something that we don't know." Kravitz responded with a shrug as Sloane brought their sandwiches and macaroons over. 

"Well, I moved around a lot as a kid. Started around the Carolinas then I moved around the east coast, went west for a bit, and I ended up in L.A. It was always kinda my favorite place, ya know? Big city, all crazy and exciting, always some sort of shows being shot." 

"So you always wanted to be an actor?" Kravitz asked curiously, making notes on his phone, between bites of his sandwic 

"Uh uh uh." Taako scolded lightly, wagging a finger at Kravitz. "It's my turn now." He swallowed a bite of his food before speaking again. "What's your ah…preference, romantically speaking?" Taako asked curiously. 

Though he should've expected a question like this, Kravitz was still a bit taken aback. Maybe he thought that Taako would work up to it, but no, straight out of the gates. Kravitz cleared his throat, looking down at his hands. "I am…not straight." He said, drinking some water to alleviate his awkwardness. 

"Oh." Taako's eyes lit up and he smiled. "That's nice. Me neither. You can put that in the article too, if you'd like. Taako says he's gay as the Fourth of July, to the surprise of absolutely nobody." 

Kravitz chuckled at that, looking back down at his food. "So uh…previous question, have you always wanted to be an actor?" 

Taako shrugged. "I guess so. I always kinda just wanted to be in the spotlight. When I was younger I wanted my own cooking show, 'Sizzle it up with Taako.'" Taako said, gesturing grandly. "But I ended up where I ended up and I'm happy where I am." He shrugged. "But if someone happens to offer me a cooking show after Adventure Zone is over, I will one hundred percent take it." 

Kravitz nodded with a smile. "Your turn then." 

Taako hummed thoughtfully, taking a bite out of his sandwich and staring intently at Kravitz. "I don't want to ask if you're interested in me because that ruins the fun. So did you always want to be paparazzi?"

Kravitz rolled his eyes. "I'm a reporter, not paparazzi. And I mean not quite. Ever since I realized what made semi realistic jobs I've wanted to be a journalist." He shrugged. "This is close enough for now." 

"I'm sure you're a great journalist, despite the limitations of pop culture." Taako said, reaching over and patting Kravitz' hand awkwardly. 

"Thank you." Kravitz responded, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down. 

"Next question?" Taako asked, finishing his sandwich and grabbing the bag of macaroons. 

"Oh um…right, right." Kravitz nodded, clearing his throat. "Who was or is your biggest inspiration?" 

"Easy, my sister." Taako said between bites of his macaroon. 

"You have a sister?" Kravitz asked with a small smile. 

Taako nodded, placing a macaroon on Kravitz' plate. "Don't put this part in the interview, but yeah. Her name is Lup and she's my everything. I wouldn't be anything without her." 

"That's awful sweet." Kravitz said, after taking a bite of the cookie. 

"Eh I know they're not perfect, but they're pretty damn good." Taako shrugged, taking another macaroon. 

"No I meant what you said about your sister." Kravitz corrected. 

"Oh…well what can I say?" Taako chuckled, looking away insecurely as he nibbled on the sweet. "Do you have any siblings?" 

Kravitz was a bit surprised by Taako's change in demeanor, but he simply went along with it, shaking his head. "Uh…no. Only child." 

"I can't even imagine growing up alone." Taako said, looking back at Kravitz. 

"It's alright." Kravitz shrugged. "It was a little lonely I guess, but I always had friends." 

"I mean…we moved around a lot, so we didn't get many chances to stop and make friends." Taako explained. "I guess we were about as equally lonely." He chuckled with a sad sort of smile. 

"I guess so." Kravitz responded, still a bit in awe at Taako's new attitude. Sloan dropped a check on the table. Kravitz and Taako both reached for it, their hands brushing against one another. 

Taako raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Nah-uh, compadre, I got this." 

"Oh come on, this was for my interview." Kravitz said with a huff. "At least split it." 

"Nope," Taako yanked the check away from Kravitz. "Sorry sweetheart, but I'm pretty sure a tv star makes more than an internet reporter." 

"I make a pretty decent pay!" Kravitz exclaimed. 

"And I'm makin' bank." Taako retorted, handing the checkbook to Sloane as she passed by. "You can pay next time." 

"Who's making assumptions now?" Kravitz asked, a hint of triumph in his voice. 

Taako rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "Are you saying you don't want a piece of this?" Sloane returned the check to the table, giving Kravitz an excuse not to answer. 

Taako stood and started stretching. "Are you gonna walk me back to the studio or what?" He asked, putting his hat and sunglasses on. 

"Do you really want the paparazzi following you to the studio?" Kravitz asked, standing. 

"You said it yourself, Krav, not paparazzi." Taako said, looking over his shoulder at his date before he strode out of the café. 

Kravitz smiled, following Taako. "So…I can send you a draft of the article before I put it up, just so I make sure nothing is out of line or anything." He offered, jogging briefly to catch up with Taako. 

"Seriously?" Taako asked, stopping and looking at Kravitz over his sunglasses. "Uh yeah…that'd be really nice." He started walking again. "Do you do this with all the people you interview?" 

"To be fair, I don't do many actual interviews." Kravitz shrugged. "I'm not exactly the pinnacle of charm."

"I'd beg to differ, darling." Taako chuckled. "I think you've been quite the charmer." He said, nudging Kravitz' side. "I mean you got me to pay for your meal, an let me tell you, I am selfish as hell. It is rare for me to do something nice like that." 

Kravitz eyed the bag of macaroons that Taako had bought for Angus with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" 

"Hey, these are for me too, puddin' pop." Taako said, grabbing a macaroon and stuffing it in his face to illustrate his point. "I know the kid'll get all whiny if I come back and don't bring him any. It's for my own sanity, really." Taako responded with a mouth full of cookie. 

"Of course." Kravitz rolled his eyes. "But I've got to ask, what's so bad about doing something nice every once and a while." 

"World's not a nice place, Kravo." Taako said with a shrug, as if they were speaking about something entirely casual and simple. 

Kravitz nodded silently, unsure of how to respond to such a pessimistic statement. After a moment he spoke again. "You really enjoy the nicknames don't you?" 

"Hey, they're fun." Taako shrugged, turning to face Kravitz and walking backwards for a bit, before he turned back around to walk forwards. He finally stopped in front of a crosswalk. "Well…that's me." He nodded to a building across the street. 

"Oh, alright." Kravitz nodded, slightly disappointed that it was over. 

"I had an alright time, as far as interviews go." Taako said nonchalantly, looking down at his finger nails. 

"Um…me too." Kravitz said, unsure of how to respond. "I'll be in touch, I suppose." He said with a nod. "See you around." 

"Smell ya later, Kravy." Taako threw up a peace sign, jogging across the street and into the building.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chap! Hooray! Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy! And if you do, leave that sweet sweet validation

"So how's the article goin?" Raven asked, rolling into Kravitz' cubicle on a rolling chair. 

Kravitz rolled his eyes. "It's going well." He continued typing, but noticed that Raven wasn't going anywhere. "Is there something else you need, Raven?" 

"Nope, just trying to get info on your date by reading your article." Raven said, peering over his shoulder. 

Kravitz sighed. "Raven, we both agreed that it wasn't a date, it was an interview."

"Oh, well that's a little disappointing." She shrugged. "Anywayms how'd it go?" 

"It went really well." Kravitz said. "He was perfectly pleasant to talk to, I think other reporters just bombarded him instead of giving him a chance." He said with a shrug. 

"Sometimes people forget that they're dealing with real people with feelings." Raven responded. "But so did you get any juicy information?" 

"I got humanizing, interesting, and generally funny quotes that he said I'm welcome to use." Kravitz said. "For example," he cleared his throat. "He said that he is 'As gay as the Fourth of July, to the surprise of absolutely nobody.'" Kravitz read off. 

Raven chuckled, rolling his eyes. "So there was at least a little bit of talk about a possible relationship? Or was he just getting it out there?" 

"We had a brief discussion about our sexualities after his request, but that's it." Kravitz said with a shrug.

"So are you gonna see him again?" Raven asked after a moment of silence. 

"I will likely interview him again." Kravitz responded simply. 

"Ugh you know what I mean!" Raven exclaimed. "Why are you so boring?" She groaned, leaning against Kravitz' chair. 

"Raven, I'm focused on my career right now, I don't need a relationship." 

* * *

"I mean yeah, he was a great guy, but I'm focusing on my career right now. Anything that's more effort that a quick fuck isn't worth the time right now." Taako shrugged, inspecting his finger nails as he gossiped with his coworkers.

"Aw come on Taako, you gotta settle down some time." Merle chided. 

"I don't see you settled down, old man." Taako responded with a scoff. 

"I was married!" Merle exclaimed. "Besides, Ango needs another parental figure in his life, and he's looking to you to provide." 

"The whole cast has basically adopted him. Besides, doesn't he have like actual parents?" Taako said. 

"Not really." Magnus said after a moment of thought. He was talking with his friends while whittling a duck. "They're gone, he was living with his grandfather, remember? But then he went to the old folks home, and now he's with Lucretia." 

"Oh yeah." Taako said, looking at the woman that wrote the show's script. "Ya know, I'd never really peg 'Cretia as the motherly type." 

"Well someone had to to choose her as the godmother for some snot nose kid." Merle said, watching Lucretia as she helped Angus with homework. 

"I think it suits her." Magnus said, decisively. "I think anyone can be a good parent if they put in the effort." 

"You certainly sound sure about that…Magnus are you and Julia pregnant?" Merle accused, pointing a finger at the taller man. 

"I don't think so…" Magnus looked thoughtful. "Jules? Are you preggers?" He called across the room to his fiancée. 

Julia poked thoughtfully at her stomach. "Nope!" She called back. "Maybe next month!" 

Magnus shrugged, turning back to Merle and Taako. Taako had been watching them all with an amused smile. "So," Magnus began. "You're not even gonna consider dating this guy? He seemed to be right up your alley, appearance wise." 

"And he's a nice guy, but I'm really just not looking for anything serious right now." Taako shrugged. "If he calls me up for a quick hookup? Hells yeah I will be there. If he calls me to talk about feelings? I'm much less interested." 

"Well I mean, even if you're not interested, you should probably send him a message to let him know that it's not him, it's you and all that crap." Magnus suggested. 

Taako scoffed, dismissively. "Thanks for the advice, but this isn't the Hallmark Channel." He said, walking back on set when the director called for them to gather around. 

* * *

Taako sat on the floor of his apartment, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He sat in a fluffy sweater about three times too big for him as he stared at his phone, trying to restrain himself from checking it again. He had checked it almost sixty times in the past thirty minutes. He tried to distract himself watching tv, laying upside down on his sofa till his face was red because of all the blood flowing to his face.

He sat up again, checking his phone and groaning loudly. Taako dialed a number and held the phone up to his ear. 

"What's up, T?" Lup's voice asked, from the other end of the line.

"Lulu, I've got an issue!" Taako exclaimed. "I went on a date with this guy and he hasn't texted or anything!" He huffed. 

"Oh no, I'm sorry Taako…wait how long has it been?" Lup asked, knowing Taako's tendency to leave some facts out. 

"Erm…earlier today." Taako mumbled. 

"Taako!" Lup sighed. 

"I'm attention starved!" Taako exclaimed with a huff. "Ever since you've moved out to go live with Barold, I've had no one to cuddle with and provide me with the proper attention." 

"Oh bullshit Taako." Lup said, rolling her eyes. "You're attention starved with or without me. Besides you said you wanted me to move out, so you could have a 'bachelor pad.' And could bring more guys over for sexy times without having to worry about me or Barry in our undies lounging about." 

"Maybe…" Taako grumbled. "Why isn't he texting Lup?" He demanded. 

"He could still be at work or something, Taako, take a chill pill." Lup chuckled. 

"I am always chill." He retorted. 

"Look, Taako, if you really wanna talk to the guy, send him a message." Lup said. "Now I gotta go watch Bake Off with Barold. You good?" 

Taako groaned. "Ugh fine, Chopped is still better." He grumbled. 

"Love you Taako!" 

"Love you too, Lulu." Taako sighed, hanging up. He looked at Kravitz' number, biting his lip. He composed his message no less than fifty times before he was finally satisfied and pressed send. He had written, "Hey, Kravitz, just wanted to say I had a good time." It was short, sweet, and too the point. It was hard to mess up. 

Kravitz smiled upon seeing the message, responding back. "I had a good time as well." He added a smiley face before sending. 

Taako felt a wave of relief wash over him and he started to write another message. "We should hang out again, in like a non-interview way. I'll let you know next time the cast is hanging out and you can be my plus one." The message wasn't even risky, but Taako still felt nervous, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. 

Kravitz was slightly surprised at the proposition. Not the invitation itself, but the nature of it. He smiled slightly. "Yeah, that'd be nice." 

"Cool." Taako typed out, letting out a breath. 

"Cool." Kravitz responded.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but here we go! Another chap! Can't wait to fall in love with the new TAZ characters. Hope you enjoy this!

Taako sighed, lounging around his apartment. They weren't filming today, which meant that he had nothing to do. He shook his head, finally deciding to send a message to the Adventure Zone group chat and see who was up for hitting some clubs. In the end it was really only Magnus and Merle willing to go out, the rest citing some sort of "responsibility," like a bunch of fuckin lame-os. But that was okay because the tres horny boys only ever really needed each other to have a good time. At least that was what Taako had thought, the other two seemed to be in disagreement. 

"You should bring along your new boy toy." Merle suggested. 

"Yeah! Magnus agreed, "We can chaperone you and make sure you save yourselves for marriage." 

"That train has already passed for Taako." Merle joked. 

Taako groaned, reading the messages back and forth. "No, we do not need another person. We have fun just us." 

"Oh I get it." Magnus texted. "You're worried that you're gonna jump on him and ruin your whole cool demeanor." 

Taako rolled his eyes. "Oh please, if anything, it's you bozos scaring him off, I'd be worried about." 

"Oh yeah?" Merle responded. "Then prove it, bring this guy and see if we or you scare him off." 

"Fine." Taako accepted the challenge, regretting his decision as soon as he realized he made it. He sent a text to Kravitz. "Me and the boys (Merle and Magnus) are goin drinkin' tonight, you in?" Kravitz took several seconds to respond which was far too long in Taako's opinion.

Kravitz felt his phone buzz and upon reading the message he responded as quickly as he could, for fear that waiting too long would lead to the message being rescinded. "Yeah, sure, where're we meeting up?" 

"I'll add you to the group chat." Taako responded, dropping Kravitz into the den of the Tres Horny Boys. 

"Tres Horny Boys?" Kravitz immediately inquired as to the name of the group chat. He received several different answers at roughly the same time. 

"I'm Tres, Merle's Boy, and Taako's horny." Magnus sent. Kravitz was glad they couldn't see his face which had become a mixture of embarassment and amusement. 

Merle responded, "Its who we are." 

And finally Taako's response was, "Its the name of our boyband." Taako chuckled at the others' explanations. "If anything, Merle is the horny one." 

"Okay…" Kravitz said, left without a real response and unsure whether he wanted one. "So drinks?" 

"Oh it's gonna be more than just drinks, Krav, it's gonna be a fucking adventure." Taako promised. 

And with that Kravitz couldn't help but wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into. Whatever it was, if Taako promised an adventure then Kravitz expected an adventure. 

* * *

Their final destination wasn't revealed to Kravitz until they got there. He looked up at the sign of the restaurant. "Mike E. Mozzarella? Isn't this some child casino?"

"Nah, it's for adults too." Magnus said. "They sell alcohol now." 

"I'm super close to getting the giant stuffed dolphin." Taako said with a nod. "So you're gonna help me win tickets. Oddly enough the games get easier the drinker you are." He said as they all got their hands stamped and some tokens to start out the night. 

"So this is your crazy adventure night?" Kravitz asked the boys as they walked to the drink counter. 

"This is the beginning. We go to actual bars and shit later, right now we play skeeball and drink custom Mozarella Merlot." Taako said. 

"Despite the name it does not taste like cheese." Merle promised. "It's not bad as far as cheap wine goes." He said with a shrug. 

"Uh-huh." Kravitz said, still in disbelief at the entire situation. He was with the cast of an extremely popular tv show, about to drink cheap wine, at a casino for children. He desperately tried to think back to a moment weirder than this. Did he have any odder moments? Decidedly not. 

A bored cashier cleared their throat and brought Kravitz out of his mind. "What will you be having, sir?" 

Kravitz quickly glanced around, but the Tres Horny Boys were no where to be seen. "I'll just have whatever they were having." He sighed, handing the cashier his credit card before being handed a glass of wine, which he was informed came with free refills. He took a sip and made a face, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever tasted. That award went to the time that Raven somehow burnt cereal. 

Kravitz looked around the restaurant, feeling extremely out of place amongst all the screaming kids, exhausted parents, and the occasional stoned teenager. He searched for his group until he finally found Magnus, sitting at one of the many tables with a slice of pizza in hand and a glass of water. 

"You're not drinking?" Kravitz asked with a raised eyebrow, sliding into the booth across from Magnus. 

"Nope, I'm the designated sober person tonight." Magnus said, taking a hardy swig of his H2O. "If you decide you like tagging along then we'll add you into the rotation after Merle." 

"Is this place really tolerable without a drink?" Kravitz asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Food's not awful." Magnus shrugged. "And watching the others is pretty fucking funny." He said, nodding to an area where Merle had begun teaching an impromptu jazz class to the children listening to the animatronics' song. It was odd but also oddly hypnotizing. Merle didn't look like it, but he was an astounding dancer. Magnus noticed Kravitz' gaze and nodded. "Yeah, he was a professional dancer until…the accident." 

"The accident?" Kravitz inquired. 

"Not my story to tell." Magnus shrugged. 

"Fair enough." Kravitz nodded. "What's Taako doing?" He asked, looking around the room for him. 

"Oh, he's schooling some kids in skeeball." Magnus said, pointing towards the arcade, where Taako had indeed amassed a small crowd of youngsters who were all watching him kill it on the game. 

"Impressive." Kravitz said. This was going to be an interesting night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taadaa! New chapter! Hooray! If you like it leave a comment or kudos or something of the sort. Thanks for reading.

He was beautiful and graceful…except he wasn't. He was a drunken man with a small army of children, teaching them how to swear and cheat at skee ball. The scene should've been ridiculous, but something about it fascinated Kravitz more than it should have. He approached the group, taking a photo on his phone. Given permission he would like to put it in an article along with the photo he got of Merle teaching the impromptu dance class. God, what would the article even be about? 

"Yo Krav!" Taako called, noticing him. "You just gonna stare or are you gonna come over here and play some effing skeeball?" He asked. 

Kravitz felt his face warm and he gravitated towards him. The children parted like the Red Sea. They seemed to have readily accepted the flamboyant actor as their leader and would have done anything he wished. The prospect frightened him. "There are so many children." Kravitz remarked upon reaching Taako.

"Tell me about it." Taako responded, winding up to roll the skeeball. "Merle teaches a dance class on the weekends so those kids worship him. I've performed amateur magic for at least half of these little shits and then Magnus has a bunch of dogs." 

"You do amateur magic?" Kravitz asked curiously. 

"Hey, it's fun, it pays the bills, and it offers the same feeling of worship from adoring fans." Taako said. "I haven't done it since the show, except for Ango, and that's really just me teaching the little nerd." 

"I didn't know you were so good with kids." Kravitz said with an amused smile as Taako critiqued the form of one of his followers. 

Taako rolled his eyes. "You've known me for what? Three days? You can't expect to know so well in a short period of time. Plus I got layers, my dude. There's shit that even those assholes don't know about." Taako nodded towards Magnus and Merle. "That's the beauty of friendship, my man. You're constantly learning. Ain't that right, little dudes?" Taako addressed the small mob of children. 

Then as if he had trained them for this moment, most of the children responded. "Damn straight!" They exclaimed cheerfully in one chaotic voice. 

Kravitz was rocked to his very core by the extremity of the statement. "Are their parents alright with you teaching them swears?" 

Taako rolled the ball and got it perfectly into the one hundred point hole. "Most of their parents are fans of Adventure Zone, I'm sure they're okay with it." He said, looking over at Kravitz with an amused expression. Taako picked up his drink from the side of the machine and knocked it back in one go. He made a face. "Not the best booze, but damn this place has got an atmosphere." He chuckled. 

Kravitz nodded, still in awe of everything he had seen. He felt like he had entered some bizarre twilight zone. Nothing about the situation made sense, and he doubted it was because of the watered down wine. But here he stood with a famous television star in the middle of a sea of children cussing and playing skeeball. No one else could get him into this situation, only Taako. 

Taako scored another one hundred on the machine and tickets came out in droves. "You almost ready to hit the road, Krav cakes?" Taako asked, gathering up his tickets. "This place closes in like thirty minutes and there are plenty of bars we're gonna check out." 

"Uh…yeah sure." Kravitz nodded. "I'm just along for the ride really." 

"Aren't we all." Taako clapped Kravitz on the shoulder. "Well don't expect me to let you off so easy in the other places. "You didn't do shit here. Which is a shame, I'm gonna go get me a magic dolphin." Taako said, parting the crowd of children and striding over to the prize counter with a small fortune of tickets. Within a minute Taako had a large stuffed dolphin with a cape, a sorceror's hat, and a wand in its flipper. 

"So…is that for you?" Kravitz asked curiously. 

"Yeah, I gave Ango the last thing I won and I need a new cuddle buddy." He shrugged. "Unless of course you wanna step up to the plate." He winked.

"Um…" Kravitz blinked, feeling his face heat up. 

"Kidding." Taako said, nudging Kravitz' side. "Learn to take a joke Krav." 

"Oh uh yeah." Kravitz nodded. "Anyways…you were saying we're visiting more bars?" 

"Oh definitely. You didn't think this was a one stop shop, did you?" 

"With you? Never." Kravitz rolled his eyes. 

"Let's go find the other doofuses." Taako said, walking towards Magnus' table. "Yo Mango, where's the old man?" 

"He said he had to go." Magnus shrugged. "Something about his ex-wife." 

"Ugh, party pooper." Taako scoffed. "Okay, we'll go anyways. Where you wanna go Magnus?" 

Magnus shrugged. "I don't care too much. I don't get to drink tonight. And you know my only rule is no strip clubs, but…I guess that's not a problem? What's your deal Kravitz? Guys? Gals? Both?" 

Kravitz felt his face heat up once again. He cleared his throat. "I prefer men." 

"Oh that's cool." Magnus nodded. "I'm straight. Merle's pan, if you didn't know. He's pretty chill about it." 

"And I'm gay, can we go now?" Taako huffed. "The night's still young enough for me to get laid." 

"Taako, remember the rules." Magnus scolded. 

"Ugh, but Merle already left. It hardly counts if it's the two of us and a temporary horny boy." Taako gestured to Kravitz with a nod. 

"Please don't call me that." Kravitz cringed. "And what is this rule?" 

"No man left behind!" Magnus exclaimed. "We only leave together. So if someone gets laid then the night is over. And that's not the plan for Kravy's first night, right Taako?" Magnus asked, slinging an arm around Kravitz' shoulder and making puppy eyes at Taako. 

Taako groaned. "Fine." 

"Yay!" Magnus exclaimed, throwing his arm up in success, then grabbing Kravitz' hand and repeating the action. 

"Are you sure you haven't been drinking?" Kravitz asked Magnus. 

"I'm just high on life, my dude."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter hooray! Hopefully y'all will like it and if you do, you know what to do! Thanks for reading

Their next stop was, of course, a karaoke bar. Kravitz and Taako ordered more drinks while Magnus went to go pick a song to do. 

"Maggie's the only non-child I've ever seen perform karaoke without a drink." Taako said, smiling. 

"Is he any good?" Kravitz asked curiously, sipping from his drink. 

"Absolutely tonedeaf, but damn if he isn't a performer." Taako laughed. "He's crowd surfed in here before with ten people and it fucking worked!" He said, still in awe of the achievement. 

"Uh-huh." Kravitz nodded, not believing Taako in the slightest. Magnus was able to prove him wrong within seconds. He sang Don't Stop Believing so loudly and off key that Journey was probably out there crying, but the crowd was loving it. He was so enthusiastic there was something infectious about it. You just had to smile and dance along with the horrible vocals. 

After Magnus returned, a wide smile and a number of groupies following him, Taako downed the remnants of his drink and started towards the table with the karaoke book. Kravtz was slightly impressed by his ability to balance in heels despite having several drinks. Taako picked out his song and waited patiently, well relatively patient for him. Soon he strutted up on stage and stood at the microphone, hands on hips. "Hello Fandolin! Y'all know who I am right?" There was scattered applause and cheers from the crowd. "I am Taako from fuckin TV baby!" The crowd roared in approval, and Taako started singing Confident by Demi Lovato. Once again it was entirely sung off pitch, but his natural charm had already swayed the audience to his side. 

Kravitz couldn't help but smile at the oddballs he had accidentally befriended. They were all very charming and outgoing and confident, and he was none of those things. If he hadn't been a reporter he never would've gotten along with them long enough to see this side of them. But thankfully he was a reporter, one who was currently debating whether or not he should record Taako's extensive choreography. Kravitz wondered if he had gotten lessons from Merle, because while the dance lacked elegance it was still captivating. It was sporadic and sensual and so very odd. The song finally ended with Taako doing a death drop and the crowd went wild. 

Taako returned, giving high fives to every passer-by, even those who had just shown up and hadn't seen his performance. Taako slid into the booth next to Magnus and the pair looked expectantly at Kravitz. 

Kravitz sipped from his drink looking up at them. "What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Aren't you gonna go?" Taako asked, nodding his head towards the shabby stage. 

"Oh no, no, no." Kravitz shook his head quickly. "I couldn't- I mean I'm not nearly as confident as either of you. Besides I don't really know many pop songs. I prefer classical music-" 

"Blah blah blah, you know what? You're gonna do Bohemian Rhapsody with us." Taako decided, standing and walking over to the table again. 

"What…" Kravitz said. 

Magnus stood, stretching. "Come on let's go." 

"What?" Why?" Kravitz asked, feeling Panic rise in his chest. 

"Building your confidence." Magnus smiled. "Don't worry me and Taako are gonna take all the attention away from you." 

Kravitz sighed going along with him. The last time he had been on any sort of stage was when he was a band geek in high school. A shiver went down his spine. The braces…the acne…it was horrible. The next thing Kravitz knew he was dragged on stage. The lights hit his eyes and he squinted, trying desperately to make out the faces in the crowd, but he could only see the two men to his right and the microphone in front of his face. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and anxiety hit him as the music started, Taako taking the lead on the song. The crowd went wild and the effect on Kravitz was immediate. The applause was a drug, whether it was for him or not. The positive affirmation addictive and Kravitz instantly became more comfortable in his performing role, backing up the others with more talent than the other two combined. 

The crowd loved them and Kravitz was drunk on attention and wine. After the song had ended to uproarious applause they returned to their table laughing. He knocked back another drink, before he stood, having decided that this time he would perform himself. "Hello everybody, my name is Kravitz Reaper and we're gonna bring it down for a bit. And I'm gonna sing a little ditty called The Sound of Silence." The room was almost entirely silent, the only noise the occasional clink of glasses.m The music started playing and Kravitz sang, letting his voice fill the room. It was gorgeous and clear as a diamond, and the crowd stood watching in awe. It was almost like there was some sort of spell over them. 

But then just as soon as it started, it was over. Kravitz waited for their responses for a moment with bated breath. He closed his eyes then there was a roar of applause, people were screaming and clapping and whistling and he loved all of it. 

Kravitz stumbled back to the booth, people clapping him on the back and complimenting him. He walked in a haze, unsure of what he found the most intoxicating; the attention, the alcohol, or Taako's brilliant smile. All equally contributed to his state. 

Magnus smiled, he glanced at his phone and let out a curse. "Guys I gotta head back to Julia. Are you guys cool with going?" He asked. 

"Yup, Taako's had a good time." Taako affirmed. 

Kravitz nodded as well, still captured by Taako's spell. He shook his head to get out of it as they left the karaoke bar to the sound of applause. Magnus helped Kravitz and Taako get to their respective houses and upon entering his, Kravitz fell onto his sofa and did not feel the need to move.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Hope you enjoy! If you do leave a comment or kudos, I really appreciate it!

Taako woke up, sun streaming through his windows. His bed was a mess, the sheets and blankets thrown all over the place. There was dried drool on the corner of his mouth and his hair was sticking up at all odds and ends. Taako cursed and rolled onto his stomach, covering his head to try and catch a bit more sleep. But it wasn't the sun that had woken him up to begin with. 

His phone buzzed repeated, vibrating on the bed and overall just being annoying as hell. Taako groaned, groping around the bed for his phone. He pushed a pillow off the bed looking for it before he finally found it underneath his new magic dolphin friend. Taako pulled the dolphin against his chest as he sat up sleepily and checked his phone. 

It was a message from Kravitz. "Hey thanks for inviting me along last night. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would." 

Taako yawned. "No problem, just keep in mind that if you text me so early again I will hurt you." 

"It's almost ten?" 

"Shut the fuck up, I'm famous and hungover." Taako texted back. "Now let me go back to sleep." 

"Fine, goodnight Taako." 

Taako rolled over and covered his head with his pillow. He probably wouldn't actually be able to go back to sleep, but dammit if he wouldn't try his hardest. 

* * *

Kravitz couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation. Taako was funny. All three of the boys were. Magnus was fun, lovable and charming. He had a sort of…rustic charm. He seemed like he belonged in a small town with his fiancée and ten dogs. And then there was Merle. Merle was like a cross between a surfer in a movie from the fifties and a hippie. He was certainly eccentric, and Kravitz was very curious about the arm, though it would be rude of him to ask. And finally there was the star of the show, Taako. He gave off a sort of air. Something about him was enchanting, mesmerizing, it was like he was made to be a star. He did everything with such confidence and style, even if he wasn't graceful or flat out seemed to be making a fool of himself. 

They were certainly interesting characters. Kravitz barely knew what to think of them. They played similar characters on their show. Magnus played Travis, a brave, if a bit dumb, warrior that rushed into danger at a moment's notice. Merle played Clint, the cleric that was closer to a cool youth pastor with a secretive past. And then Taako played Justin, a flamboyant, selfish wizard who really had a heart of gold. Kravitz thought that it was very good casting. He decided he would ask them all about how their personal lives and experiences affect their character choices. 

Kravitz' phone buzzed. It was none other than Taako from TV, "okay, I'm awake. You can text me your praises now." 

Kravitz rolled his eyes. "Oh good, I'm glad I have your permission." He responded, turning Adventure Zone on to watch the latest episode again. 

"Of course, you're welcome." Taako responded. 

Kravitz smiled slightly at how quickly Taako was responding. "I really did have a good time last night. It was very different from anything I've ever done before." 

"That's the Taako experience baby." Came Taako's response. "Only thing you missed out on was any of my home cooking. But we can save that for next time." 

"Next time?" Kravitz felt an odd sense of accomplishment at getting another invitation. 

Taako, however, cursed at himself, accidentally preemptively inviting him along. "Of course. You didn't get the full experience. Merle and Magnus made it end early. We barely got drunk." 

"You got drunk enough to get a hangover." Kravitz pointed out. 

"Okay fine, you barely got drunk." Taako corrected himself. "So clearly, we need to hang out more."

"So you can drive me to alcoholism?" 

"Now you're taking my words out of context and you know it." Taako texted with a huff and a roll of his eyes. "I'm just saying I'm the most fun person you'll ever meet, Magnus and Merle are close seconds and you clearly need to have more fun." 

"Clearly?" Kravitz responded with a slight frown. "I have fun." 

"You had never done karaoke before! I know children who've done karaoke! And they're not allowed to get drunk." 

"So what? It's just never been my thing." Kravitz texted, feeling oddly defensive. 

"Yeah but you were a natural." Taako responded. "So you need someone to get you out of your comfort zone more so you can discover all your amazing talents." 

Kravitz felt his face heat up. He stared down at the phone for a moment uncertain how to respond. "Uh…thanks?" 

"I speak the truth." Taako messaged back quickly. "Now it is also true that we should hang out again soon. If you wanna do work shit, I'm babysitting Angus tomorrow, you can stop by and interview him for your article shit." 

Kravitz was a bit surprised by the turn in the conversation. Of course, he wasn't stupid, he wouldn't turn down a chance for an interview. Besides the kid was cute and Taako was cute too, though in a much different way. Spending time with Taako…well there were worse ways to spend a Sunday. "Sure, let me know a time and place and I'll meet you there." 

Taako didn't know why he did that. He was babysitting Angus and it would be nice to have someone else around so the kid didn't drive him crazy, but the cute reporter that he's known for a week? Why him? Taako felt desperate. He was too desperate to be allowed to keep his phone. He should have Magnus take it away before he can send Kravitz the information. Taako groaned, laying face down on his couch. Maybe he's still asleep. Maybe he's still drunk. That would've been better than him making this decision sober. Still there were worse fates than spending his day staring at a handsome guy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my boy so much. Just love Angus McDonald so much. Anyways like if you're enjoying this pretty please leave comments or kudos or something. Those are pretty much the only things that can really motivate me to write shit

"Okay, Taako, you know the rules." Lucretia said, sternly. 

"Yeah, yeah, he does his homework first, then learns his lines, then he can watch tv." Taako rolled his eyes. "The kid'll be fine." 

Lucretia knelt down to look at Angus. "And Angus, what're the rules for watching Taako?" 

"No alcohol, and he reads his lines, bakes, or watches tv. And no company." Angus recited with Abby toothy grin. 

"Precisely." Lucretia smiled. She kissed Angus' forehead. "Take care of him." 

"I will." Taako promised. 

"I was talking to Angus." Lucretia teased, chuckling as she left Taako's apartment.

Taako plopped himself down into a chair. "Okay kid, start getting to work. Pretty soon we're gonna have company coming over." 

Angus frowned, sitting at the table. "But Ms. Lucretia says-" 

"It's a work thing." Taako explained. "You're gonna be doing your first real interview. How's that sound?" 

"Well golly, sir. It does sound nice, but Ms. Lucretia is very clear with her rules." Angus frowned. 

"Listen kid, Taako life lesson for the day. Better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Copyright Taako." Taako said, holding up a finger and looking at Angus sagely. 

Angus looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have heard that saying before…" He mumbled to himself. 

"Have you ever heard the saying 'Taako knows best?'" Taako responded, placing a hand on Angus' shoulder. 

Angus nodded, starting to get excited. "Alright, sir, if you think this is good then I trust you!" He nodded with determination. 

"Good boy Ango." Taako ruffled Angus' hair. 

"Uh sir?" Angus said shyly. "If I'm good today can we bake macarons again?" 

Taako sighed with a fond smile. "Of course, ya little weirdo. Now, start working on you homework, little man." 

"Sir, yes sir!" Angus gave an excited salute and pulled his notebook out of his backpack.

Taako smiled and nodded, pulling his phone out and looking through his games to decide what to do while he waited for Angus to finish up his homework. "Hey Ango." Taako said, peering over at him. "What kinda homework ya doin?" 

"Calculus!" Angus responded with a grin. 

Taako let out a whistle. "Lucretia really pushes you, doesn't she?" 

"No, I like math! And school." Angus smiled. "I'm the smartest boy my age, at least that's what Ms. Lucretia says." 

"I believe it." Taako nodded. "You're a lot smarter than Taako was at your age. Hell you're a lot smarter than I am now." Taako said, sounding mildly impressed. "At least in book smarts." He added. "I could teach you some stuff about street smarts." 

"Oh golly sir, I'd love that!" Angus nodded. "Does that go a long with magic lessons or cooking lessons?" He asked curiously. Taako was already tutoring Angus in the ways of the stage magician and the master chef. 

"More on the magic lesson side probably." Taako said with a nod. "Sleight of hand and all that." He took Angus' pencil, made it disappear and then pulled it from behind Angus' ear. 

Angus applauded with a grin. "Awesome! So will you teach me one day, sir?" 

"Maybe once you finish school. Though with the way Lucretia's got you going, that'll probably only be in a couple a week." Taako teased. "You're still getting plenty of breaks and stuff right? Don't want our ratings booster having a breakdown." Taako joked, hiding his genuine concern and care for Angus behind several layers of teasing and poking fun at him.

"Yes sir!" Angus nodded happily. "When I get stressed out or upset we stop and do crosswords or play detective games." He smiled widely. 

"Fuckin' dork." Taako mused, standing and ruffling Angus' hair. He walked to the kitchen and started humming as he cooked up some lunch for him and the kid. He also made enough for a third person if anyone else came by while they were eating. It was always Taako's motto that you could never have too much good food. Besides he gave Kravitz a wide time period, he could show up at any minute. It was about thirty minutes later when the door bell rang. 

"I'll get it!" Angus exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and rushing towards the door. 

"Angus!" Taako scolded, running out of the kitchen after him. "You can't just do that, kid!" He scolded, grabbing Angus' arm and pulling him back. "What if it was a brat snatcher out there?" 

"Well gee sir, I hadn't thought about that." Angus said sheepishly. 

"You're too friendly for your own goddamn good." Taako muttered, glancing through the peephole. "You got lucky this time kid, this is my friend that wants to interview you." Taako opened the door, letting Kravitz in. 

Angus stared up at the man in awe. Kravitz is more than a little intimidating and to Angus he seemed like a giant. Clad in all black, with tattoos peeking out from beneath his sleeves he seemed otherworldly and kind of evil. Angus took a couple of steps backwards and grabbed onto Taako's hand. 

Taako rolled his eyes. "Really kid? How old are you?" 

"You didn't say he'd be scary." Angus whispered loudly. 

Kravitz chuckled and knelt down to be closer to Angus' eye level. "I'm not scary I promise. I only look like it." 

Angus looked uncertainly up at Taako, who shrugged. "Don't look at me kid, if you don't wanna do the interview we can go back to homework." 

Angus took a hesitant step towards Kravitz and offered his hand. "Hello sir, I'm Angus McDonald, boy actor." 

"Hello Angus McDonald, I'm Kravitz Reaper, adult reporter." Kravitz chuckled shaking the boy's hand. "So would you like to answer some questions for me?" 

Angus nodded his head, and the trio returned to the living room where all of Angus' things were laid out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooray! New chapter! If u enjoy it please feel free to validate me and my shitty au. Idk how long I'm gonna go on with this fic, probably not too much longer unless I get a big burst of sudden inspiration lol

"Taako…" Lucretia said, crossing her arms. 

"Oh hey there Madam Director." Taako greeted with a lazy half salute. 

"Why did I get an email requesting permission to put an interview with Angus up online?" She demanded. 

"It was the kid's idea." Taako excused himself. "He was so bored, I made the suggestion, he loved it, guy showed up, article written." Taako shrugged. 

"Angus loves reading over lines with you and you literally just said it was your suggestion." Lucretia said, her eyes narrowing. 

"Did I?" Taako said thoughtfully. "Well either way, the kid had a good time and the article turned out good, right?" 

"It did…" Lucretia said, still eyeing Taako suspiciously. "What did you get out of it? There weren't any quotes from you or pictures of you in the article. Why'd you do it?" 

Taako gasped, making a shocked expression. "Excuse me? Who do you think I am? Am I really so selfish and shallow in your eyes?" 

"You stole fifty bucks from Merle's cousin when he was passed out!" Lucretia exclaimed. 

"That was one time!" Taako huffed. Lucretia gave him a look. "Okay twice, but it was different cousins!" 

"Why did you set up the interview?" Lucretia asked again. 

"I'm hungry for attention in any way possible?" Taako suggested. 

"I know you are, but that doesn't explain jack shit." Lucretia responded with a huff. 

"Ugh, fine. I'll talk." Taako groaned. "The reporter is real cute and I wanted an excuse to hang with him. Happy?" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Taako why don't you just ask him out like a regular human being?" Lucretia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why'd you have to use my kid as date bait?" 

"Taako doesn't ask people out. He gets asked out." Taako said. 

"What's the difference?" Lucretia asked with a sigh, already knowing she'd regret even starting this conversation. 

"Asking people out is desperate. Getting asked out is being wanted." Taako explained. 

"But you are desperate." Lucretia pointed out. 

"Doesn't matter." Taako responded. "As long as I don't seem like it." He stuck his tongue out at Lucretia and started towards the stage for a run through of lines. 

* * *

Kravitz wanted to ask Taako out. He had already wanted to, but after spending an hour where Taako just oggled him, he felt a bit more comfortable asking him out. But there were still a million variables to take into account. How should he ask Taako out? A text or a big gesture? Where should they go? What should they do? Would paparazzi or other journalists hound them down to take their pictures? And this was all assuming he said yes. There were just too many variables and Kravitz was afraid.

He huffed, spinning around in his chair, thinking to himself. Raven rolled past the opening to his cubicle. "What's up Kravitz? You not feeling inspired?" She asked curiously, joining in on his spinning. 

Kravitz shrugged. "Not particularly." He shrugged. "I suppose I've had a bit of a revelation and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Still thinking things through." 

"Looks like you're overthinking to me." Raven said with a shrug. "Someone on your mind?" 

"Yes." Kravitz said quietly, after a moment's hesitation. 

"Is it who I'm going to assume it is?" Raven asked, sounding not particularly interested, spinning her chair continuously. 

"How am I supposed to know-" Kravitz huffed. "Maybe." He grumbled. 

"Nice." Raven nodded. "You asked him out yet?" 

Kravitz was a bit confused by how unenthusiastic she was, but it was a blessing. "No, I'm weighing the benefits and the possible consequences." 

"Boring." Raven commented in a sing-song tone of voice. "You think too much." 

"I do not!" Kravitz exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration. "I think a perfectly normal amount." 

"False." Raven responded, scooting her chair closer to Kravitz. "Listen bud, if you think he's vibing on you, I don't see why you don't just take the leap. If things go south I can set up a different reporter to watch the show and interview and shit. Does that make you feel any better?" She asked. 

"Not really, no." Kravitz replied. "How am I supposed to know if he's- as you say, 'vibing ms?'" Kravitz asked.

"Does he look at you for long periods of time? Does he make up excuses to hang out with you? How many innuendos has he made? Does he touch your arm or bat his eyelashes?" Raven asked.. 

"I don't know if anything like that is intentional or not!" Kravitz exclaimed. 

"Well…" Raven thought for a moment then sighed. "I don't know! Why not go to the internet for help if you don't like mine?" 

"Maybe I will." Kravitz grumbled, turning to his laptop and typing in yahoo answers. 

"Oh my god! No don't!" Raven exclaimed. "The fuck? Yahoo answers? Really?" Raven sighed, shaking her head in astonishment. "I feel like I don't even know you any more." She rolled to his desk and closed the laptop. "Listen, stop being such a baby and ask him out!" 

* * *

"Taako, listen, stop being such a fuckin' dork and ask him out!" Lup exclaimed at the miniature intervention that his friends were holding for him.

"Yeah!" Magnus exclaimed. "What's the worst that could happen?" 

"He could hear him." Merle chuckled. 

"That's a Friends reference and we both know it, chuckle fuck." Taako said, glaring at Merle. 

"Jeezy Creezy, Taako, you act like a bit of embarrassment is the end of the world for you. You've fallen on your ass on tv before!" Magnus exclaimed. 

"And it was both hilarious and charming." Lup said, movingbehind Taako to rub his shoulders like a boxing coach. 

"Also, you've already got the kid's approval." Merle shrugged. "Hell, he's got my approval." 

"Mine too." Magnus chimed in. 

"I haven't me him, but approved to start the preliminary dating thing, anything close to marriage is forbidden until I see what he's made of." Lup said with a nod. 

Taako groaned. "Fine, but I will only ask him out if he doesn't step up and do it in the next twenty four hours." Taako said. 

Lup shrugged. "Deal." She shook his hand. "I mean, you know I just wanna make you happy, right bro?" 

"I know, you sappy fuck." Taako rolled his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! Sorry this took a while. Shits been crazy. Anyways, rn this is the end.maybe I'll write some More one day but rn that is not the plan

Kravitz cleared his throat. "So I uh…was wondering…I know we're sort of working together, so tell me if this is completely inappropriate of me, but will you go out with me?" He took a deep breath. "Like on a date?" He asked, peeking up from under his eyelashes. 

"Hm…let me see, will I go out with you? No." Raven said, spinning in her chair. 

Kravitz frowned. "Raven, come on now, be serious!" 

"I am being serious." She responded. "You're the one that's not." She stopped spinning and starting ticking things off of her fingers. "You weren't looking me in the eye, you kept stuttering, you undercut yourself, and although this is just my personal opinion, I think you need some spectacle." 

"Spectacle?" Kravitz responded uncertainly. 

"Taako's not just a normal guy. He's eccentric and quirky." Raven explained. "Besides he's a celebrity. If you want him to go out with you you have to do something to sweep him off of his feet. At least like flowers and chocolate or some shit." She shrugged. "Ooh! Get him some wine, celebrities love wine." 

"Eh…wines a bit…I mean I don't wanna give him the wrong idea." Kravitz mused thoughtfully. "I think I'd rather just get him flowers." 

"Cheesy fuck." Raven teased. "What kind of flowers?" She asked. 

"Roses, I suppose." Kravitz said with a shrug. "I doubt anyone can say no to roses." 

"I could but I understand what you mean." Raven agreed with a nod. "So next you gotta fix your speech." 

"See that's a bit more difficult." Kravitz said. "I'm not the best at speaking. I can write very eloquently, but speaking is more difficult." 

"Index cards." Raven suggested. 

"Don't you think that's a bit…silly?" Kravitz asked. 

"No, of course not. I think it's sweet." Raven insisted. "That you're so dedicated to doing this right. It'll make him swoon." She assured him. 

Kravitz nodded, slowly then more determinedly. "You're right. Thank you Raven for all of your help." 

"Ooh wait!" Raven exclaimed. "What're you wearing? I mean you always look impeccable, but maybe go all the way out. Wait…" She held up a hand. "Don't go all out." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Button up shirt, sleeves rolled up, the vest with the black swirly pattern, and whatever pants you think make your butt look good."

Kravitz nodded. "Tie or no tie?" He asked. 

"Definitely a tie." Raven said as if it was obvious. 

"Wait!" Kravitz said. "What do we do on the date?" He asked. 

Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "Lets ask him out before we start worrying about that." 

"Right, right." Kravitz nodded. "Alright, I think I'm ready."

* * *

Taako strolled into the studio, humming to himself. Even at the ass crack of dawn, he was still looking good, and with a coffee in his hand he was feeling good too. He took off his comedically large hat and tossed it to Angus, who gladly accepted it and went off running elsewhere.

He went through his usual routine. Going to his dressing room and changing, before going to hair and makeup and reading over the script one last time. It was odd though how he hadn't encountered tweedle dumb and tweedle idiot yet. 

* * *

Kravitz walked up to the desk. He cleared his throat. "Uh…hello sir, I'm here to see uh…Taako?" He said to the bored looking man.

"I'm sorry, but unless you have some sorta note or whatever I can't let you in." The man said with a shrug. "Security and all that. You could be a stalker." 

Kravitz realized he may indeed look a bit stalker-ish with the dozen roses. Thankfully he had thought this through and his knights in shining armor were here to rescue. "It's cool Barry, he's here with us." Magnus said with a grin, walking up the desk with Merle waddling behind. "He's gonna ask Taako out." Merle whispered. 

"Oh so this is the guy Lup said Taako was fawning over." Barry said. 

"Yup." Merle nodded. 

"C'mon." Magnus said, grabbing Kravitz' arm and starting to lead him down the hall. 

"Really went all out, didn't ya, buddy?" Merle teased, looking at the flowers. "And is that an index card." 

"I'm not good talking." Kravitz shrugged. "I get all choked up and everything. Forget everything I wanna say." 

Merle and Magnus led Kravitz through the studio till they arrived where Taako was sitting, looking over his script. They came up from behind him so he wouldn't see them. When he heard them he turned and his eyes widened upon seeing Kravitz and the roses. 

"Oh um…hi there, Kravitz." Taako said slowly. "Uh…what're those for?" He asked, pointing at the roses. 

"For you, of course." Kravitz stumbled over his words, thrusting the flowers towards Taako. 

Taako smiled, taking the flowers. "Do you wanna go talk in private somewhere?" He asked, glancing at Magnus and Merle. Kravitz nodded and Taako led him to his dressing room, putting the flowers on his vanity. "Alrighty so…first off, you look amazing. Secondly, whatever you want to say, though I think I know where this is going." 

"Right." Kravitz nodded, taking an index card out of his pocket. "So…we haven't known each other for very long, but I can say with absolute certainty, you are the most unique person I've ever met. You're smart and charismatic and clever and very good looking. So I figured the only way to ask out an extraordinary person was to do it in a way that, while not exactly extraordinary, it is pretty good." Kravitz shrugged. "But so…that's why I'm here. To ask you out on an official date. No interviews or nothing, just you and me." 

A slow grin spread across Taako's face. "I've been waiting for you to ask me out dumbass." He said. He stepped forward, throwing his arms around Kravitz' neck. He planted a kiss on his cheek. He would have done more but there was a knock on the door. 

"Taako, five minutes to filming." 

Taako sighed, pulling away. "Send me the details later darling, cause for now, the show must go on." He patted Kravitz' cheek before leaving the room with a spring in his step that hadn't been there before. 

Kravitz smiled. He couldn't wait to plan things out with Raven.


End file.
